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England could not stand up the intense Croatia attacks, but they are heading in the right direction under Gareth SouthgateCredit:
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The worst outcome now would be for England’s campaign in Russia to be tossed on the fire with all the others. Blessings should be counted, when the angst wears off.

Save us from the kind of revisionism that ignores hard facts. One is that England progressed from a group stage exit in 2014 to a semi-final defeat in extra-time four years later. No country on earth would call that anything other than improvement. England lasted six days in Brazil. Here they survived deep into extra-time of a last-four game, succumbing to the latest goal they have conceded in World Cup competition - 108m 03secs, the time on the clock when Mario Mandzukic plunged the dagger.